Icons: Combat Arena

About

Icons: Combat Arena is a single player and multiplayer strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Wavedash Games and was released on July 12, 2018. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Icons: Legacy Edition is a tribute release to the free-to-play platform fighting game, Icons: Combat Arena. The game features a variety of beloved characters and elements from franchise platform fighting games, as well as unique, unexplored character designs. This final edition of the game aims to provide a complete platform fighting experience, with fan-favorite characters such as a space animal, sword fighter, and gunslinger."

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41%

Audience ScoreBased on 930 reviews

gameplay104 positive mentions

graphics25 negative mentions

Fun gameplay with smooth mechanics reminiscent of Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Decent netcode that allows for smooth online play, making matches feel almost like local play.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and are actively working on improvements.

Limited character roster with only 3 out of 7 characters available for free, requiring payment or extensive grinding to unlock the rest.
The monetization model is criticized for being exploitative, with loot boxes and a lack of clear progression for unlocking characters.
Animations and sound design are often described as bland and unpolished, detracting from the overall experience.

gameplay
360 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
66%
5%
The gameplay of this title is a mixed bag, drawing heavily from the mechanics of Super Smash Bros. with familiar elements like wavedashing and directional air dodging, which many players find enjoyable. However, criticisms arise regarding the game's balance, character originality, and overall polish, with some describing it as clunky and lacking depth compared to other platform fighters. While the core mechanics are solid and the gameplay can be fun, issues such as input lag, limited character selection, and a monetization model that restricts access to content detract from the overall experience.
- “Fun gameplay, 10 fairly distinct characters, 7 stages, and polished gameplay allow it to be pretty fun.”
- “The gameplay is fast and fun, which I enjoy a lot.”
- “The gameplay is tailored to fans of Super Smash Bros. Melee and Project M and maintains the competitive spirit of those games while being a little more accessible for newcomers and casual players.”
- “The gameplay is slippery, the combos are way too easy, the characters are unbalanced and unoriginal, and the game requires no skill.”
- “The characters are jerky, the input delay is horrible, the combos just don't seem to link very well, the animations feel choppy, and the gameplay itself just doesn't feel fluid.”
- “The gameplay is just dumbed down way too much and comboing doesn't really exist besides 2 or 3 hits.”
graphics
127 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
62%
20%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the art style as generic and uninspired, often comparing it unfavorably to popular titles like Overwatch and Smash. While some users appreciate the decent visuals and improvements over time, others point out issues such as clunky animations and a lack of originality in character design. Overall, the game's aesthetic is seen as a significant drawback, detracting from the overall experience despite some positive aspects in gameplay.
- “Awesome 4K graphics!”
- “Slick gameplay, solid character design, and colorful visuals.”
- “Graphics are serviceable with a lot of style (Raymer hair best hair) and music is nice with more music on the way.”
- “The graphics, art style, and character design reek of a lack of effort.”
- “Aesthetically, it's like Smash meets Overwatch, leaving some rather unappealing visuals and some extremely clumsy feeling mechanics with character animations that look as though they were all taken from an old discarded Blizzard concept.”
- “The game has poor artistic direction, with poor sounds and visuals that severely impact the game feel.”
monetization
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
68%
29%
The monetization aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players criticizing its reliance on loot boxes and microtransactions that lock characters behind paywalls. While some updates have been made in response to community feedback, including the removal of certain microtransactions, the overall sentiment remains that the monetization model feels greedy and reminiscent of other poorly received games. Despite the developers' efforts to improve the situation, many players still view the current system as a cash grab that detracts from the game's potential.
- “All microtransactions are gone, everything is unlocked from the start, so have fun customizing.”
- “The developers are extremely responsive to feedback, including in early concerns for the visual/sound design and all the way to now, where they are listening to customer feedback on the monetization plan.”
- “The monetization works like League of Legends, so there's no pay-to-win, which is great.”
- “There was an awful monetization scheme with loot boxes that locked characters from the start.”
- “The current monetization scheme locks over half of the already small cast behind a paywall.”
- “Even though it feels like the devs have some idea of how to design satisfying gameplay, I cannot in good conscience recommend this game while it is filled with such a greedy money-grabbing monetization scheme.”
music
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
64%
19%
The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players describing it as generic, bland, and unmemorable. While some acknowledge the high quality of the soundtrack, it often lacks variety and fails to enhance the gaming experience, leaving players wanting more. Overall, the music is seen as a weak aspect of the game, with calls for improvement and a more distinctive sound.
- “The soundtrack for the game is memorable and mostly fits the sci-fi style of the game.”
- “The stages are beautiful, and the respective music (where applicable) fits the atmospheric vibe.”
- “Graphics are serviceable with a lot of style, and music is nice with more music on the way.”
- “The music is generic as heck and doesn't serve to get you excited for the match.”
- “The soundtrack also feels like Overwatch, just like what this game feels like.”
- “The music in the game is very bland and boring in my opinion, most other platform fighters usually have really good soundtracks that have character to them, while, like a lot of this game, just feels... generic.”
character development
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
58%
20%
Character development in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many reviewers criticizing the character designs as bland, generic, and derivative of popular titles like Overwatch and League of Legends. While a few characters, such as Afi and Galu, are noted for their interesting concepts, the overall lack of originality and depth in both character design and lore has left players feeling disappointed. The art style and animations are also described as unpolished, contributing to a perception of a lack of effort in character development.
- “The character designs are a nice mix of familiar and fresh - I'm especially a big fan of Xana (unlocked for all new players) and Raymer.”
- “I thought the combo strings were fun, the character designs were neat takes on the Smash series, and overall I really enjoyed the pacing of the game.”
- “Slick gameplay, solid character design, and colorful visuals.”
- “The character designs are bland and uninspired.”
- “Character designs are the most sterile, bland archetypes you can possibly imagine.”
- “The problem is that, just like the audio, character design feels so phoned-in.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
55%
28%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, especially on ultrawide monitors and lower-end systems. Issues such as inconsistent frame rates, high ping, and crashes prevent a smooth gaming experience, leading to concerns about the game's long-term viability if these problems are not addressed. While some players acknowledge that optimization may improve over time, the current state is deemed inadequate for a satisfactory gameplay experience.
- “It's a new game; balance and performance mishaps will occur, but the team will iron it out during the lifetime of the game.”
- “Netcode and optimization seem great, although I wish the FPS wasn't capped at 60.”
- “Optimization isn't done yet, so you should go into training and load every character and stage once before playing online.”
- “Garbage game, poorly optimized and the team behind it has no idea how to develop a character on their own.”
- “The optimization of the game is also off, especially if you're playing on an ultrawide monitor.”
- “At least at launch, I don't know about the actual gameplay because the game was so poorly optimized that I couldn't get past any menu to play the actual game without it crashing.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and single-player content, with many reviewers noting the absence of a narrative or lore, making it feel incomplete. While some express hope for future story modes or character backstories, the current experience is described as lacking imagination and primarily focused on competitive play. Overall, the consensus is that a more engaging story could enhance the game's appeal, especially for casual players.
- “The game development has come into this so far... the bizarre story of how it comes back to Steam amazes me. Thank you, devs, for the effort in making the game; I'm going to have a cool night with my friends with this game offline :)”
- “This is the greatest redemption story of all time.”
- “Featuring an ever-expanding roster of iconic combatants, each with their own colorful backstory, Icons: Combat Arena is a rich and memorable gaming experience.”
- “No frills, no bonuses besides cosmetics, no story or lore that I could find, no single player content.”
- “There isn't too much to learn on this game other than the fact that it's not visually pleasing, mediocre lore and story, muddy controls, and crappy animations.”
- “Story: n/a”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
93%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and frustrating, especially given that a significant number of characters are locked behind extensive grinding or paywalls. While some appreciate the free-to-play model, they express concern over the excessive time required to unlock characters and cosmetics, leading to a perception of the game as a cash grab. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a barrier to enjoying the game fully, with players often feeling compelled to spend money to bypass the grind.
- “If you're not grinding in this game, you'll ultimately have to pay to unlock the majority of the characters.”
- “Grinding in this game is rewarding and adds depth to the overall experience.”
- “The grind is satisfying and makes each character feel earned rather than just purchased.”
- “Ugly art style, characters locked behind a ridiculous amount of grinding or paywall.”
- “While the game itself has its fun moments, you're limited to 3 characters without an absurd amount of grinding or simply paying what should essentially be full price for a half-finished game just to unlock them and nothing else.”
- “The game has a lootbox system where you only get one after grinding out levels which could take hours to get a substantial amount for, or you could give them real-world cash for a small amount of lootboxes.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant issues such as frequent crashes, input lag, and buggy menus that hinder gameplay. While some users noted pleasant graphics, the overall experience is marred by glitches and performance problems, particularly in online modes. A few players, however, experienced no noticeable bugs, suggesting that stability may vary depending on individual setups.
- “This pile of garbage first of all doesn't even feel like it should be outside of the closed playtesting. There is input lag, you have two characters to play as, both of which are lawsuit levels of close to Smash Bros characters. The game is overall unappealing and looks almost like Overwatch. The game is extremely laggy and buggy, and I tried one online match, only to be locked out of playing even offline matches. A timer appeared, then disappeared, and then I couldn't choose to play a match.”
- “Not one bit in its current state; constant crashes and horrible glitches.”
- “Now the game constantly freezes during a match while my opponent doesn't.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its quirky characters and the engaging community, supported by passionate developers. However, some players find the decision to lock most of the character roster behind a paywall to be ironically amusing, questioning the game's potential as an e-sport. Overall, while the humor can be entertaining, it is also met with criticism regarding game design choices.
- “You definitely want to have some funny or weird characters on the roster, but if so, commit to the visual tale that their moves might tell.”
- “Hilarious and wonderful community with involved devs who are passionate about the genre.”
- “Considering there are only 7 total, it is hilarious they locked the majority of the cast behind a paywall.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's replayability is limited, as players can only access three out of seven characters without purchasing the $25 founder's pack or engaging in a frustrating lootbox system. Additionally, the lack of diverse game modes further diminishes the incentive to replay.
- “The game offers a variety of characters to unlock, which adds to its replayability.”
- “With multiple characters and potential future updates, the game keeps players coming back for more.”
- “The different playstyles of the characters encourage players to replay the game to experience each one.”
- “The Steam section of this game advertises a free-to-play experience with 7 characters to start, but only 3 are playable without either paying 25 dollars for their 'founder's pack' or going through lootbox hell to try and unlock characters.”
- “Replayability: there honestly are not that many modes in this game.”
- “Of the seven characters, three are playable, and it turns out the game actually costs $25 USD to unlock all current and future characters.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game's atmosphere is highlighted by its stunning art direction and fitting music, which create an immersive experience despite some criticisms of the mechanics. However, some players feel that the overall presentation may come off as overly self-assured.
- “The stages are beautiful, and the respective music (where applicable) fits the atmospheric vibe.”
- “The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game world.”
- “Despite the potential for a rich environment, the atmosphere is flat and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
- “The art direction seems more focused on style over substance, resulting in an atmosphere that feels forced and artificial.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers note that the game lacks emotional depth, as it does not evoke feelings associated with classic titles, resulting in a disconnect for players seeking a more emotionally resonant experience.